Tag Archives: fungi

The best thing about being on holiday is that you can do a bit of work for relaxation from holidaying. On Christmas’ Day Even a high wind blew and brought down an old ash tree that has been a creaking gate for some years (I remember a bough falling off it when I was a child about 50 years ago).

It looked much worse before we started clearing it out with a handy winch, all my straps and a couple of chain saws. It was a wonder, really that the tree had managed to stand up so long, the root-ball was almost entirely rotten.

I’m not an expert on tree fungi, but this one has been at work on the tree for a long time, and I’m expecting the stem to be at least partly hollow.

Most of the wood will end up in my log store, but there maybe a chance of getting out a couple of planks with the BIG SAW and Alaskan mill. The thinning chain saw is certainly going to need a good sharpening, even though the muddy logs that had embedded in the bottom of the canal were avoided.

I’ve brushed off the worst of the mud and the wind and rain now falling should help out a lot finishing the job. We’re certainly going to have plenty of good ash logs for some time.

And then fortuitously our neighbour’s fence blew down too, so that’s the kindling sorted out for this Winter too. Just a bit short of newspaper now …

This looks like a step backwards. Well it is. This chair is taking over my life. In the last update it had taken on a vile Victorian upright habit to its back. It was difficult to spt as the chair sat in the bodgery with that very uncertain floor, consisting of 18 inches of shavings. Only when sat in the trailer again did the error become obvious.

Now, a comfortable chair has a relaxed back. And a shepherd’s chair, which in theory was a chair where a shepherd could fall asleep at lambing time, should be so relaxed. Straight backs to chairs do not induce, nor allow sleep. Mind you, following the Law tradition I can fall asleep anywhere – sitting on two bricks (father-style), standing up, playing the clarinet (that’s me), whilst driving … (steady on – Ed).

Turns out that the straight back was a result of chopping the mortices in the back legs at the mirror-image angle to what they ought to have been chopped. Doh!

Now it looks likes this:

The back is relaxed. Phew! Dig those trailer side fastenings.

So apart from making an almost impossible (for me) chair, this is what’s been happening (omitting mundane things like: two swans with three cygnets on t’canal; Canadian canoe shooting The (very dangerous) Strid (twice); making animal courses (less internal organs); vegetable growing (especially that vertical pumpkin); scything (sorry Steve, a vast topic); and so on, (this has been happening) int’wood.

LOADS of fungi. These are Black Bulgari. They grow on dead oak, I keep on telling myself, “This is why we remove the bark and sapwood.”

Almost edible (but goes soggy when cooked):

Red cracking bolete.

Didn’t identify this one, but grows on oak roots:

Looks boleteous to moi.

Then, these guys appeared in the outfall of the lathe:

This is Deer Shield “Edible. but not worthwhile.” It says here. It’s a bit odd sharing your work space with flora and fauna. They shrews were suddenly very active a couple of days ago, rushing about every couple of minutes or so. I thought it was just me rushing about at this time of year – see you at The National Forest Wood Festival next Monday (if you don’t happen to be on one of my next three courses).